Remote adjustment of a row unit of an agricultural device

ABSTRACT

Agricultural devices, row unit adjustment systems, and methods of adjusting a depth of a furrow are provided. In some aspects, an agricultural device is adapted to plant seeds and includes a frame, a furrow opener coupled to the frame and adapted to cut a furrow including a depth, a sensor adapted to sense a characteristic associated with planting seeds and generate a signal associated with the sensed characteristic, and a processing unit receiving the signal associated with the sensed characteristic. The depth of the furrow is adjustable based on the signal associated with the sensed characteristic. Such characteristic may be a characteristic of the soil, a force applied to the agricultural device, or a position of a portion of the agricultural device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Nos. 61/479,540, filed Apr. 27, 2011, 61/479,537, filed Apr.27, 2011, and 61/479,543, filed Apr. 27, 2011, the contents of all areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to agricultural devices and,more particularly, to cutting depth adjustment of a row unit of anagricultural device.

BACKGROUND

Conventional row units in agricultural planters are supported from atoolbar by a parallel linkage which permits each row unit to movevertically independent of the toolbar and other spaced row units basedon the contour of the soil. Biasing means such as airbags may extendbetween the parallel linkage to provide supplemental or additional downforce on the row unit. The furrow opening assembly on conventional rowunits consists of a pair of flat furrow opening disk blades and a pairof gauge wheels. The furrow depth cut by a row unit has long beenrecognized as having an impact on seed germination and emergence. Seedplanted too deep will have delayed emergence while shallow seeding depthmay lead to root development problems.

Past attempts have relied on sensing loads applied to the gauge wheelsand then adjusting the biasing means extending between the parallellinkage to provide supplemental or additional down force. One problemwith this approach is a lack of accuracy and unpredictability in thesystem. First, when the biasing means is an airbag, it can be difficultto precisely determine the volume of air in the airbag at a given timeand, subsequently, determine needed supplemental down force. Too littledown force on the row unit and the seed will be planted to shallow. Onthe other hand, too much down force will ensure penetration by theopener but also cause over compaction of the soil again leading to rootdevelopment and germination problems. Second, sensing loads on a gaugewheel do not provide a direct measurement of how deep the seed isactually being planted. Differences in soil types and condition can skewthe data and lead to the farmer guessing on the actual furrow depth.Finally, providing supplemental down force on a row unit throughconventional biasing means does not actually change the depth at whichseed is being planted. Instead, these systems are limited to providing aconsistent singular depth.

Accordingly, there remains a need for an apparatus, method and systemwhich does not primarily rely on conventional sensing means, but insteadrelies on adjusting the row unit based on detection of certain furrowcharacteristics, e.g., furrow depth and moisture level. There alsoremains a need for an apparatus, method and system which can adjust thedepth at which seed is being planted.

SUMMARY

In one example, remote cutting depth adjustment system is provided.

In another example, a method of adjusting a cutting depth of a row unitof an agricultural device is provided.

In yet another example, a remote cutting depth adjustment system isprovided and may include a tractor and an agricultural device. Thetractor includes a control system and the agricultural device includes arow unit including a pair of cutting blades, an actuator, and a sensor.The sensor is capable of sensing a parameter or characteristicassociated with a cutting depth of the cutting blades and the controlsystem is capable of receiving the sensed parameter and displayinginformation on a user interface associated with the sensed parameter.The user may input information via an input device to alter the cuttingdepth of the cutting blades by moving the actuator. Alternatively, thecontrol system may receive the sensed parameter and communicate with theactuator to move the actuator, thereby adjusting the cutting depth ofthe cutting blades.

In still another example, an agricultural device adapted to plant seedsis provided and includes a frame, a furrow opener coupled to the frameand adapted to cut a furrow including a depth, a sensor adapted to sensea characteristic associated with planting seeds and generate a signalassociated with the sensed characteristic, and a processing unitreceiving the signal associated with the sensed characteristic. Thedepth of the furrow is adjustable based on the signal associated withthe sensed characteristic.

In a further example, a row unit adjustment system for use with anagricultural planter for planting seeds is provided. The agriculturalplanter includes a row unit including a frame and a furrow openercoupled to the frame and adapted to cut a furrow including a depth. Therow unit adjustment system includes an actuator coupled to the row unitand adapted to adjust the depth of the furrow, a sensor adapted to sensea characteristic associated with planting seeds and generate a signalassociated with the sensed characteristic, and a processing unit incommunication with the sensor and the actuator, and wherein theprocessing unit is adapted to receive the signal associated with thesensed characteristic and communicate with the actuator to adjust thedepth of the furrow based on the signal.

In yet a further example, a method of adjusting a depth of a furrowopened by a row unit of an agricultural planter is provided. The rowunit includes a frame and a furrow opener coupled to the frame. Themethod includes sensing a characteristic associated with seed plantingwith a sensor, generating a signal associated with the characteristicwith the sensor, communicating the signal to a processing unit, andadjusting a depth of a furrow opened by a row unit based on the signalreceived by the processing unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an exemplary row unit of anagricultural device, the exemplary row unit including an exemplaryactuator assembly of a remote depth adjustment system;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view similar to FIG. 1 with a portion of therow unit broken-away for illustrative purposes;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation view taken from FIG. 2 of a portionof the row unit;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a portion of the actuator assemblywith a portion of the actuator assembly broken away to show internalcomponents;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an exemplary remote depth adjustment system foran agricultural device having a plurality of row units;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of a portion of the row unit shown withan exemplary sensor; and

FIG. 9 is a diagram of another exemplary remote depth adjustment systemfor an agricultural device having a plurality of row units.

Before any independent features and embodiments of the invention areexplained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of the construction and thearrangement of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in variousways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology usedherein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded aslimiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The contents of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/458,012, filed Apr.27, 2012, entitled “AGRICULTURAL DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FORDETERMINING SOIL AND SEED CHARACTERISTICS AND ANALYZING THE SAME” andU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/457,815, filed Apr. 27, 2012,entitled “DOWN AND/OR UP FORCE ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM” are incorporatedherein by reference.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary row unit 20 of an agriculturaldevice 24 (see FIG. 7) is illustrated. The exemplary row unit 20 may beany of a wide variety of row units having various capabilities andfunctionalities Likewise, the agricultural device 24 may be any of awide variety of agricultural devices capable of including row units andhaving various capabilities and functionalities. In the illustratedexemplary embodiment, the agricultural device is a planter 24 and therow unit is a planter row unit 20. The following description andassociated figures relate to the exemplary embodiment of a planter 24and a planter row unit 20. However, it should be understood that theillustrated exemplary planter 24 and planter row unit 20 are notintended to be limiting and the present invention is capable of beingused with a wide variety of different agricultural devices and rowunits, and still be within the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the planter 24 may include aplurality of similarly configured planter row units 20, each of which iscapable of planting seeds in the soil. For simplicity, only one planterrow unit 20 will be illustrated and described herein. However, it shouldbe understood that a planter 24 is capable of having any number of rowunits 20 and the numerous row units 20 may be similarly configured andhave similar functionality to the illustrated and described exemplaryplanter row unit 20.

During planting, the furrow depth cut by the row unit 20 may be adjustedfrom time to time for a variety of reasons including, but not limitedto, soil conditions, row unit performance, type of seed, moisturecontent of soil, soil compaction, opener blade wear, soil type, etc. Anexemplary remote cutting depth adjustment system 28 (see FIG. 7) isprovided for remotely adjusting the cutting depth of the row unit 20.Such remote adjustment of the row unit cutting depth may be performedfrom a cab of a tractor (described in greater detail below).

With continued reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary planter row unit 20 isillustrated and may be coupled to a frame or toolbar (not shown) of atractor by a coupling 32. The row unit 20 includes a frame 36 coupled tothe coupling 32, a furrow opener or pair of flat circular disc blades 40coupled to the frame 36 to open a seed trench or furrow in the soil, apair of depth gauge wheels 44 coupled to the frame 36 and locatedadjacent to and slightly to a rear of the blades 40, a seed meter 48which “singulates” seed from a seed hopper (not shown) and deposits theseed into the furrow formed by the twin disc opener blades 40, and apair of spaced apart closing wheels 52 coupled to the frame 36 andpositioned to follow after the planted seed for breaking down the furrowside walls on either side of the furrow and cover the seed, close thefurrow, and firm the soil over the covered seed. The gauge wheels 44determine, at least in part, the depth of the furrow formed by theopener blades 40.

The cutting depth of opener blades 40 may be adjusted through adepth-adjusting lever mechanism 56 that changes the vertical height ofthe frame 36 relative to gauge wheels 44, which ride on the soil. Openerblades 40 are carried by the frame 36 and the lever mechanism 56 adjuststhe operating depth of the blades 40 relative to the gauge wheels 44and, therefore, relative to the top surface of the soil.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the frame 36 includes two side panels with aportion of the proximate side panel cut-away to show a portion of theremote cutting depth adjustment system 28, which includes thedepth-adjusting lever mechanism 56. The depth-adjusting lever mechanism56 and associated components are similar to the depth-adjusting levermechanism and associated components disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,148,747, the entire content of which is incorporated herein byreference. Thus, the components and functionality of the depth-adjustinglever mechanism 56 and associated components will not be described fullyherein. Rather, the components and functionality of the depth adjustinglever mechanism 56 necessary to convey the present invention will beidentified, illustrated, and described herein in more detail.

With continued reference to FIG. 2 and additional reference to FIGS.3-6, the remote cutting depth adjustment system 28 includes an exemplaryactuator 60 coupled to a handle 64 of the depth-adjusting levermechanism 56 for moving the handle 64. In accordance with the disclosureof U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,747, movement of the handle 64 ultimately adjuststhe cutting depth of the opener blades 40 and the depth of the furrow.The actuator 60 may be any type of actuator such as, for example, alinear actuator, rotary actuator, a pneumatic actuator, a hydraulicactuator, an electrical actuator, any combination thereof, etc., and maybe respectively coupled to and powered by a pneumatic source, ahydraulic source, an electrical source, any combination thereof, etc. Inthe illustrated exemplary embodiment, the actuator is a linearelectrical actuator 60 and is coupled to and powered by an electricalpower source (described in more detail below). It should be understoodthat the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the actuator 60 and powersource are not intended to be limiting upon the present invention andany type of actuator and power source may be utilized and be within theintended spirit and scope of the present invention.

With reference to the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the actuator60, the actuator 60 includes a housing 68 coupled to the frame 36 of therow unit 20, a moveable arm 72 coupled to and linearly translatablerelative to the housing 68, and a drive mechanism 76 coupled to thehousing 68 and the arm 72 for moving the arm 72 relative to the housing68.

The housing 68 defines a cavity 80 therein and includes a first end 84pivotally coupled to the frame 36 by a pin 88. A second end 92 of thehousing 68 opens into the cavity 80. The arm 72 includes a first end 96positioned and moveable within the housing cavity 80 and a second end100 pivotally coupled to the handle 64 via a pin 104. The arm 72 alsodefines a cavity 108 therein with the first end 96 of the arm 72 openinginto the arm cavity 108. A nut 112 is coupled to the arm 72 at the firstend 96 and may be coupled to the arm 72 in a variety of manners. In theillustrated exemplary embodiment, the nut 112 includes a shoulder 116, areduced diameter portion 120, and threads 124 defined in an exterior ofthe reduced diameter portion 120. The reduced diameter portion 120including threads 124 therein threads into the open first end 96 of thearm 72. A portion of an interior wall 128 of the arm 72 defines threads132 therein that are complementary to the threads 124 defined in theexterior of the nut 112. The nut 112 is threaded into the open first end96 of the arm 72 until the shoulder 116 abuts the first end 96 of thearm 72. A sealing member 144 such as, for example, an O-ring is disposedbetween the shoulder 116 and an interior surface 148 of the housing 68to create a seal therebetween, thereby inhibiting contaminates fromentering into the housing cavity 80.

The nut 112 also defines an aperture 152 therethrough and threads 156 inan interior surface of the nut 112. The actuator 60 also includes adrive shaft 160 defining threads 164 in at least a portion of anexterior surface of the drive shaft 160 and the drive shaft 160 ispositioned within the nut aperture 152 and threadably coupled to the nut112 via the complementary threads 156, 164. A first end 168 of the driveshaft 160 is positioned within the arm cavity 108 and a second end 172of the drive shaft 160 is positioned within the housing 60. The driveshaft 160 is supported near its second end 172 by a pair of bushings 176surrounding the drive shaft 160 and disposed between the drive shaft 160and an interior shoulder 180 of the housing 68. A pair of washers 184encircle the drive shaft 160 with one positioned at the end of eachbushing 176 to assist with maintaining the bushings 176 in position. Thebushings 176 enable the drive shaft 160 to rotate relative to thehousing 68 without significant friction. A securement nut 188 isthreaded to the second end 172 of the drive shaft 160 to inhibit thedrive shaft 160 from translating relative to the housing 68.Specifically, the drive shaft 160 is capable of rotating relative to thehousing 68, but is inhibited from translating relative to the housing68. A gear 192 is fixedly coupled to the drive shaft 160 intermediatethe first and second ends 168, 172 of the drive shaft 160 and mesheswith an intermediary gear 196 of the drive mechanism 76.

The drive mechanism 76 may be a wide variety of different mechanismscapable of rotating the drive shaft 160 of the actuator 60. Theillustrated exemplary embodiment of the drive mechanism 76 is notintended to be limiting upon the present invention. The illustratedexemplary drive mechanism 76 includes a motor 200 electrically coupledto an electrical power source, an output shaft 204, an output gear 208coupled to and rotatable by the output shaft 204, and an intermediarygear 196 meshing with the output gear 208 and the drive shaft gear 192.The intermediary gear 196 transfers rotation from the output gear 208 tothe drive shaft gear 192, thereby rotating the drive shaft 160 when themotor 200 is activated. The drive mechanism 76 is coupled to a motorsupport 212 via a plurality of fasteners 216 and the motor support 212is coupled to the actuator housing 68 via a plurality of fasteners 220.This configuration rigidly secures the drive mechanism 76 to theactuator housing 68. Other manners of rigidly connecting the drivemechanism 76 to the actuator housing 68 may be employed and all of suchalternatives are intended to be within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention. The intermediary gear 196 is secured in place with asupport rod 224 extending through a center of the intermediary gear 196and coupled to the motor support 212. A bearing 228 is disposed betweenthe intermediary gear 196 and the support rod 224 to facilitate rotationof the intermediary gear 196 relative to the support rod 224.

Now that structural components of the actuator 60 have been described,operation of the actuator 60 will be addressed.

With continued reference to FIGS. 2-6, the drive mechanism 76 may bedriven in either direction in order to rotate the drive shaft 160 ineither direction. When the drive mechanism 76 is activated, the outputshaft 204 rotates the output gear 208, which rotates the intermediarygear 196, the drive shaft gear 192, and ultimately the drive shaft 160.Since the drive shaft 160 is inhibited from translating, the drive shaft160 merely rotates relative to the housing 68. The coupling of thethreads 164 on the exterior of the drive shaft 160 with the threads 156defined in the aperture 152 of the nut 112 causes the nut 112 totranslate along the drive shaft 160, which translates the arm 72relative to the actuator housing 68. Ultimately, the arm 72 is coupledto the handle 64 of the depth-adjusting lever mechanism 56 andtranslation of the arm 72 moves the handle 64. Depending on thedirection of motor rotation, the arm 72 may be pulled into the housing68, which results in movement of the handle 64 in a clockwise direction(as viewed in FIG. 2) or toward the actuator 60, or the arm 72 may bepushed out of the housing 68, which results in movement of the handle 64in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2) or away from theactuator 60. Movement of the handle 64 in a clockwise direction reducesthe cutting depth of the blades 40 and reduces the depth of the furrow,and movement of the handle 64 in a counter-clockwise direction increasesthe cutting depth of the blades 40 and increases the depth of thefurrow. When the drive mechanism 76 is not activated, the actuator 60 issecured in place to secure the handle 64 in place, thereby maintainingthe blades 40 at their cutting depth.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a diagram of an exemplary remote cutting depthadjustment system 28 is illustrated. The exemplary remote cutting depthadjustment system 28 is not intended to be limiting and a variety ofother remote cutting depth adjustment systems may be utilized and stillbe within the intended spirit and scope of the present invention.

The illustrated exemplary remote cutting depth adjustment system 28includes a tractor 232 and an agricultural device 24 such as, forexample, a planter coupled to and pulled by the tractor 232. The tractor232 includes a control system 236 and an electrical power source 240 forpowering the control system 236. The control system 236 includes a userinterface 244, a processing unit 248, and memory 252. In some exemplaryembodiments, the user interface 244 may have touch-screen capabilities256, thereby providing the user with an output display for viewinginformation and a manner of inputting information via a touch-screenkeyboard, buttons, or other touch-screen controls and capabilities. Inother exemplary embodiments, the user interface 244 may only be anoutput device to display information and the control system 236 mayinclude a mechanical control panel 260 including a variety of mechanicalswitches, buttons, etc. manipulatable by a user to input desiredinformation. In further exemplary embodiments, the control system 236may include a combination of a touch-screen user interface and amechanical control panel to output and input desired information. Theprocessing unit 248 performs the necessary processing to achieve thedesired functionality of the remote cutting depth adjustment system 28and communicates with the input devices, output devices, memory, and theagricultural device as necessary to achieve such desired functionality.

With continued reference to FIG. 7, the agricultural device may be aplanter 24 and the planter 24 may include a plurality of planter rowunits 20. The planter 24 may include any number of row units 20, whichis exemplified by the annotations: Row Unit #1; Row Unit #2; . . . ; RowUnit #N. As indicated above, the row units 20 may be substantially thesame and, therefore, only details of Row Unit #1 are shown in greatdetail. It should be understood that all of the row units 20 may includesimilar components and functionality to that of Row Unit #1, but suchcomponents and functionality will not be presented herein for the sakeof brevity.

Row Unit #1 includes actuator 60 described above and illustrated inFIGS. 2-6. The actuator 60 is coupled to the handle 64 of thedepth-adjusting lever mechanism 56 and is capable of moving thedepth-adjusting lever mechanism 56 to control the cutting depth of theblades 40 and the depth of the furrow. Row Unit #1 may include one ormore sensors 264, 268 to identify the cutting depth of the blades 40 andthe depth of the furrow. The cutting depth and furrow depth may bedetermined in a variety of manners using a variety of different types ofsensors, which may sense a variety of different parameters orcharacteristics. For example, in the illustrated exemplary embodiment,each row unit 20 may include a first sensor 264 for sensing a positionof the handle 64 and a second sensor 268 for sensing a furrow depth. Itshould be understood that each row unit 20 may include only one of thesesensors, may include more than these two sensors for sensing additionalparameters, or may include any combination of sensors for sensing anyrelevant parameters that ultimately contribute to determining thecutting depth of the blades 40 and the furrow depth. For example, insome exemplary embodiments, the row unit may include three sensors, afirst sensor to sense a position of the handle, a second sensor to sensea furrow depth, and a third sensor to sense soil moisture.

The first sensor 264 for sensing a position of the handle 64 may be anytype of sensor such as, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, laser sensor,etc., and may be coupled to any portion of the row unit 20 as long as itcan operate appropriately to sense the position of the handle 64. Insome exemplary embodiments, the first sensor 264 may be coupled to aninterior of the frame 36 proximate the handle 64. The second sensor 268for sensing a furrow depth may be any type of sensor such as, forexample, an ultrasonic sensor, laser sensor, etc., and may be coupled toany portion of the row unit 20 as long as it can operate appropriatelyto sense a furrow depth. In some exemplary embodiments, the secondsensor 268 may be coupled to the frame 36 and be directed downwardtoward the soil and the furrow cut therein (see FIG. 8).

In further exemplary embodiments, the remote cutting depth adjustmentsystem 28 may include an additional sensor such as, for example, a forcetransducer that is coupled to the depth-adjusting lever mechanism 56 formonitoring and/or measuring a down force occurring in thedepth-adjusting lever mechanism 56 and applied to the row unit 20 toforce the row unit 20 downward toward the soil. The force transducer maybe any type of sensor such as, for example, a load cell, a pressuresensor, a potentiometer, etc., and may be coupled to any portion of thedepth-adjusting lever mechanism 56 as long as it can operateappropriately to sense a down force. Such a force transducer may beelectronically coupled to the processing unit 248 to enable theprocessing unit 248 to take readings of the down force and displayrelated information to a user via the user interface 244 or to enablethe processing unit 248 to communicate with the necessary components ofthe remote cutting depth adjustment system 28 to adjust the cuttingdepth of the row unit 20.

The sensors 264, 268 generate a signal associated with the sensedparameter and the processing unit 248 communicates with the sensors 264,268 to receive the signal. The processing unit 248 utilizes signal andthe information included therein received by the sensors 264, 268 anddisplays desired information on the user interface 244 for a user toview. In some exemplary embodiments, the displayed information mayinclude a cutting depth of the blades 40 and/or a furrow depth. The usermay alter the cutting depth of the blades 40 and the furrow depth ifdesired. To do so, the user makes the desired adjustment by inputting adesired cutting depth or furrow depth via one or more of thetouch-screen user interface 256, mechanical control panel 260, or anyother input device. Then, the processing unit 248 receives the inputteddata and communicates with the actuator 60 to move the actuator 60 andadjust the cutting depth of the blades 40 as desired by the user. Theone or more sensors 264, 268 monitor their respective parameters as theactuator 60 adjusts the cutting depth, generate signals based on thesensed parameters, communicate the signals associated with the sensedparameters to the processing unit 248, and the processing unit 248drives the actuator 60 until the one or more sensors 264, 268 sense andcommunicate the appropriate parameter corresponding to the desiredcutting depth of the blades 40. The processing unit 248 deactivates theactuator 60 when the appropriate cutting depth has been achieved.Deactivation of the actuator 60 maintains the actuator 60 in place,thereby securing the row unit 20 at the desired cutting depth.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the actuators 60 and thesensors 264, 268 of the row units 20 are electrically powered. Theactuators 60 and the sensors 264, 268 may be electrically powered in avariety of different manners and all of such manners are intended to bewithin the spirit and scope of the present invention. In some exemplaryembodiments, the actuators 60 and the sensors 264, 268 of all the rowunits 20 may be electrically powered by an electrical power source 272of the agricultural device (e.g., the planter) 24. In other exemplaryembodiments, the actuators 60 and the sensors 264, 268 of all the rowunits 20 may be electrically powered by the tractor electrical powersource 240. In further exemplary embodiments, each row unit 20 mayinclude its own electrical power source 276 and the actuator 60 andsensors 264, 268 on a particular row unit 20 may be electrically poweredby the electrical power source 276 on that row unit 20.

The above described electrical power sources may be a wide variety oftypes of electrical power sources and all of such various electricalpower sources are intended to be within the intended spirit and scope ofthe present invention. For example, an electrical power source may be analternator coupled with a hydraulic motor, an alternator coupledmechanically to the tractor engine, an alternator coupled with a grounddrive, an alternator coupled with an electric motor, a batter pack, etc.

As indicated above, in some exemplary embodiments, the actuators 60 onthe row units 20 may be pneumatic or hydraulic actuators, therebyrequiring a pneumatic source or a hydraulic source to respectively powerthe actuators. In such exemplary embodiments and similarly to theelectrically powered actuators, the actuators may be powered in avariety of manners. In some exemplary embodiments, the pneumatic orhydraulic actuators of all the row units 20 may be respectively poweredby a pneumatic or hydraulic power source of the agricultural device(e.g., the planter) 24. In other exemplary embodiments, the pneumatic orhydraulic actuators of all the row units 20 may be respectively poweredby a pneumatic or hydraulic source of the tractor 232. In furtherexemplary embodiments, each row unit 20 may include its own pneumatic orhydraulic power source and the actuator on a particular row unit 20 maybe respectively powered by the pneumatic or hydraulic power source onthat row unit 20.

The remote cutting depth adjustment system 28 may be either an open loopsystem or a closed loop system. In an open loop system, the cuttingdepth adjustment system 28 utilizes one or more sensors 264, 268 tosense one or more parameters, the processing unit receives the sensedparameter(s) and displays or otherwise outputs information to the uservia a user interface 244, and the user is capable of making a desiredadjustment to the cutting depth using input devices such as, forexample, a touch-screen user interface 256 or mechanical control panel260. In a closed loop system, the cutting depth adjustment system 28utilizes one or more sensors 264, 268 to continuously sense one or moreparameters in real-time, and the processing unit 248 receives the sensedparameter(s), displays or otherwise outputs information to the user viaa user interface 244, determines if the sensed parameter(s)correspond(s) with a desired cutting depth, and communicates with thenecessary components of the system 28 to adjust the cutting depth if thesensed parameter(s) does (do) not correlate to the desired cuttingdepth. Such a desired cutting depth may be input into the system by auser, may be based on historical data, may be determined based onparameters sensed by sensors, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 9, another exemplary remote depth adjustmentsystem 28A is illustrated. The components of the system 28A illustratedin FIG. 9 that are similar to components of the system 28 illustrated inFIGS. 1-8 are identified with the same reference number and an “A”.

The system 28A illustrated in FIG. 9 has many similarities to the system28 illustrated in FIGS. 1-8. At least one difference between system 28Aillustrated in FIG. 9 and system 28 illustrated in FIGS. 1-8 is that theagricultural device or planter 24A includes the processing unit 248A andthe memory 252A, rather than the tractor 232A, which is the case insystem 28. With the processing unit 248A included in the planter 24A,the planter electrical power source 272A may provide electrical power tothe processing unit 248A. Even with this difference, the system 28A iscapable of performing all the same functionality as the system 28illustrated in FIGS. 1-8.

It should be understood that the processing unit, the memory, and anyother components of the systems may be included on either the tractor orthe planter and in any combination, and be within the intended spiritand scope of the present invention. For example, the planter may includethe processing unit and the tractor may include the memory. Also, forexample, the tractor may include the processing unit and the planter mayinclude the memory.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The descriptions wereselected to explain the principles of the invention and their practicalapplication to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the inventionin various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Although particular constructions of thepresent invention have been shown and described, other alternativeconstructions will be apparent to those skilled in the art and arewithin the intended scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An agricultural device adapted to plant seeds,the agricultural device comprising: a frame; a furrow opener coupled tothe frame and adapted to cut a furrow including a depth; a solid statesensor adapted to sense a characteristic associated with planting seedsand generate a signal associated with the sensed characteristic; and aprocessing unit receiving the signal associated with the sensedcharacteristic; wherein the depth of the furrow is adjustable based onthe signal associated with the sensed characteristic; wherein thecharacteristic of the soil is one of soil temperature, moisture contentof soil, furrow depth, and soil type.
 2. The agricultural device ofclaim 1, wherein the sensor is positioned at least partially behind thefurrow opener.
 3. The agricultural device of claim 2, wherein the sensoris independent of mechanical linkages.
 4. The agricultural device ofclaim 1, wherein the characteristic is a force applied to theagricultural device and the signal is associated with the force appliedto the agricultural unit.
 5. The agricultural device of claim 1, whereinthe sensor is one of an ultrasonic sensor; a laser sensor; a videocamera; an infra-red sensor; an infra-red camera; an infra-red scanner;a potentiometer; and a microwave sensor.
 6. The agricultural device ofclaim 1, further comprising a furrow depth adjustment mechanism and agauge wheel, wherein the gauge wheel is coupled to the frame through thefurrow depth adjustment mechanism, and wherein the agricultural devicefurther comprises a second sensor for sensing second characteristic. 7.The agricultural device of claim 6, wherein the characteristic is aforce applied to the gauge wheel and the signal is associated with theforce applied to the gauge wheel.
 8. The agricultural device of claim 6,wherein the characteristic is a position of at least a portion of thefurrow depth adjustment mechanism and the signal is associated with theposition of that at least a portion of the furrow depth adjustmentmechanism.
 9. The agricultural device of claim 6, wherein the furrowdepth adjustment mechanism includes a handle and the characteristic is aposition of the handle, and wherein the signal is associated with theposition of the handle.
 10. The agricultural device of claim 6, whereinthe furrow depth adjustment mechanism includes an actuator, and whereinthe processing unit communicates with the actuator to adjust the depthof the furrow based on the signal.
 11. The agricultural device of claim6, further comprising a user interface in communication with theprocessing unit and information associated with the sensedcharacteristic is displayed on the user interface, wherein the furrowdepth adjustment mechanism includes an actuator, and wherein a user iscapable of remotely adjusting the actuator to adjust the depth of thefurrow based on the information displayed on the user interface.
 12. Theagricultural device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit communicateswith the agricultural device to adjust the depth of the furrow based onthe signal.
 13. The agricultural device of claim 1, wherein theprocessing unit determines whether adjustment of the depth of the furrowis necessary based on the signal.
 14. The agricultural device of claim1, wherein the sensor is a first sensor, the characteristic is a firstcharacteristic, and the signal is a first signal associated with thefirst characteristic, the agricultural device further comprising asecond sensor adapted to sense a second characteristic associated withplanting seeds and generate a second signal associated with the sensedsecond characteristic.
 15. The agricultural device of claim 14, whereinthe processing unit receives the first signal and the second signal, andwherein the depth of the furrow is adjustable based on the first andsecond signals respectively associated with the sensed first and secondcharacteristics.
 16. A row unit adjustment system for use with anagricultural planter for planting seeds, the agricultural planterincluding a row unit including a frame and a furrow opener coupled tothe frame and adapted to cut a furrow including a depth, the row unitadjustment system comprising: an actuator coupled to the row unit andadapted to adjust the depth of the furrow; a solid state sensor adaptedto sense a characteristic associated with planting seeds and generate asignal associated with the sensed characteristic; and a processing unitin communication with the sensor and the actuator, and wherein theprocessing unit is adapted to receive the signal associated with thesensed characteristic and communicate with the actuator to adjust thedepth of the furrow based on the signal; wherein the characteristic ofthe soil is one of soil temperature, moisture content soil, furrowdepth, and soil type.
 17. The row unit adjustment system of claim 16,wherein the processing unit determines whether the depth of the furrowrequires adjusting based on the signal and subsequently communicateswith the actuator to adjust the depth of the furrow if the processingunit determines adjustment is necessary.
 18. The row unit adjustmentsystem of claim 16, further comprising a user interface in communicationwith the processing unit, wherein the processing unit displaysinformation on the user interface based on the signal associated withthe sensed characteristic, and wherein a user initiates communicationbetween the processing unit and the actuator to adjust the depth of thefurrow.
 19. A method of adjusting a depth of a furrow opened by a rowunit of an agricultural planter, the row unit including a frame and afurrow opener coupled to the frame, the method comprising: sensing acharacteristic associated with seed planting with a solid state sensor;generating a signal associated with the characteristic with the sensor,wherein the characteristic of the soil is one of soil temperature,moisture content of soil, furrow depth, and soil type; communicating thesignal to a processing unit; and adjusting a depth of a furrow opened bya row unit based on the signal received by the processing unit.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, wherein sensing a characteristic includes sensingone of a position of at least a portion of a furrow depth adjustmentmechanism, a characteristic of a soil upon which the agriculturalplanter travels, and a force applied to the row unit.
 21. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the row unit also includes a furrow depth adjustmentmechanism and a gauge wheel with the gauge wheel coupled to the framethrough the furrow depth adjustment mechanism, wherein the furrow depthadjustment mechanism includes an actuator adapted to adjust the depth ofthe furrow, and wherein the step of adjusting a depth of a furrowfurther includes communicating with the actuator to adjust a depth of afurrow.
 22. The method of claim 19, further comprising displayinginformation on a user interface based on the signal received by theprocessing unit, and wherein adjusting a depth of a furrow furtherincludes manually initiating communication between the processing unitand the row unit subsequent to displaying information on the userinterface.
 23. The method of claim 19, wherein adjusting a depth of afurrow further includes automatically adjusting a depth of a furrow withthe processing unit based on the signal received by the processing unit.